a week of fine dining

Good friends. Good laughs. Good wine. Unbelievable food! That was the week I had and since I had my camera in tow, I may as well brag share...

The week started off with a Monday night dinner at Mistral. Pinot noir and filet mignon with chocolate soufflé for dessert. I'm sure there were vegetables in there somewhere... Mimi ran into her old friend Cybill. We asked her to take our photo and somehow she ended up in our photo. It's okay. It reminds me that I have been meaning to buy Moonlighting on DVD.

10 years ago, the four of us met on a little movie called Deep Impact. Besides a few months on Mighty Joe Young, this was really my first movie in Hollywood. I was the Production Secretary, Joan was the Producer, Mimi the Director and Paddy was her assistant. Since then, I spent a year and a half with Joan as her assistant on What Lies Beneath and Cast Away and two years with Mimi at the end of Pay It Forward through a TV show called John Doe. Paddy through all of these years has been nothing short of a touchstone and pillar in my life. Most importantly, to this day, they are all still my friends and this was one of the first times in years that the four of us were together at the same time!

Then on Tuesday night, my sweet friends Bonnie and Steven took us to a tasty Argentinian restaurant named Carlitos Gardel's. With just one perfect meal, it could easily become my new favorite place. A cozy home style vibe and full wine cellar, it was one of the best rib eyes I have had in awhile. Make sure you go with someone who can provide as flavorful a conversation as ours and you will know exactly why I was so smitten with the place. And if you go, you must get a plate of the garlic french fries as an appetizer. Yes, I said you must!

Then last night, what was meant to be a business dinner actually turned into a laugh fest surrounded by even more delicious food and shockingly, more wine. A fantastic zinfandel, a tomato goat cheese soup (I can't explain, but trust me it was divine!) with a mini grilled cheese sandwich started the meal. Then for dinner I had braised short ribs with sweet potato pancakes. As unbelievable as it was already, it was nothing compared to the dessert.

An entire tray loaded with fresh out of the oven cookies, peanut butter ice cream sundae, sorbet, kettle corn, cupcakes, chocolate and original rice crispy treats, homemade pink snowballs and COTTON CANDY! SimonLA is the latest trendy restaurant in the newly restored Sofitel Hotel and is worth all of the hype. I realize I am beginning to sound like a restaurant reviewer, but all of my meals this week were to good not to discuss! Of course now I feel an obligation to go to the gym. The calories are rarely this worth it, so I'll try not to complain...